BREAKING: Manchester City Launch Over £120m Bid For Chelsea Star Enzo Fernandez On Deadline Day
That deadline passed without an offer, with reports at the time stating Fernandez was expected to stay at Stamford Bridge for the 2026/27 season.
Chelsea star Enzo Fernandez. Photo: Courtesy.
By Robert Mutasi
Manchester City have launched a stunning late attempt to sign Enzo Fernandez from Chelsea, with negotiations continuing today over a package worth more than £120m.
Sources indicate City have now submitted an offer that exceeds Chelsea’s long-standing valuation for the Argentine World Cup winner, with the total package understood to be worth in excess of £120 million, up to Chelsea to decide. Crucial hours are now ahead as both clubs race to make a final decision on Deadline Day.
The development marks a dramatic twist in a saga that has run throughout the summer. Chelsea had previously told interested clubs that they valued Fernandez at £120m and set a self-imposed deadline of 5pm on Friday, August 14th for bids to arrive, warning that the player would not be sold if the figure was not met. That deadline passed without an offer, with reports at the time stating Fernandez was expected to stay at Stamford Bridge for the 2026/27 season.
However, City have retained an interest in the midfielder throughout the window and are now understood to have returned to the table with a significantly improved proposal.
City’s renewed push is thought to be driven by head coach Enzo Maresca, who shared a strong working relationship with Fernandez when he was Chelsea boss. Fernandez, who has six years remaining on his long-term contract at Chelsea, is seen as a key target to bolster City’s midfield options.
Earlier in the window, Manchester City had been linked with a £102.5m bid lodged with just over 24 hours remaining of Chelsea’s ultimatum, but the new package is believed to be in excess of that figure, meeting and potentially surpassing the £120m threshold Chelsea have demanded.
Chelsea had previously insisted they would not necessarily accept £120m after the deadline expired, having taken the figure off the table. However, with a fresh offer now on the table worth more than £120m, the decision is back in Chelsea’s hands.
For Chelsea, the situation is complex. The club has been clear that Fernandez is a central part of their project and has been comfortable with his valuation being public because it had been communicated to the player and his camp since May. But a bid of this magnitude on Deadline Day would represent one of the biggest deals in Premier League history and would force a late rethink.
Negotiations are ongoing between the two clubs over the structure of the package, including guaranteed fees, add-ons and payment terms. With the clock ticking towards the Deadline Day cutoff, both sides are now facing a decisive final few hours to determine whether one of the most sensational moves of the summer will go through.
If completed, it would eclipse Chelsea’s own £106.8m signing of Fernandez from Benfica in January 2023 and make him the most expensive Argentine player in history for a second time.
All eyes are now on Stamford Bridge and the Etihad as the final decision looms.
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